Nowadays, chessplayers spend almost all their free time preparing openings, and rarely spend the time necessary to perfect the vitally important technique of calculating. Regular training in solving and playing out endgame studies is a good recipe for eliminating that shortcoming.

This training is directed at developing resourcefulness, fantasy (in chess, these qualities are called "combinative acuity"), and the readiness to sacrifice material, in pursuit of the goal - winning!

"[Dvoretsky and Pervakov] have written a book valuable for those who want to train and for those who love beauty in chess...The book is just what it purports to be...You will find text aplenty, offering explanations, a discussion of themes, aesthetics, applications to and analogies with over the board play, and more besides. A further interesting feature is the final, 47-page chapter, which presents studies not by the professionals of composition but by practical players (most of the world champions, and a number of top-class grandmasters from Tarrasch to Morozevich). This book too I can highly recommend, and have already been working with the original, Russian-language edition for some time." Dennis Monokroussos at ChessMind.com

"Most Western players have until recently been in the dark about the value of game like positions with few pieces on the board that combine beauty and piece efficiency to create art while educating. As the well-known trainer and writer Dvoretsky  and the famous composer Pervakov show time and again good studies not only hone one's calculating ability but also teach fundamental endgame knowledge in a "hands on" way.
 
"Studies for Practical Players: Improving Calculation and Resourcefulness in the Endgame  doesn't just offer many studies to solve - it features plenty of text with full explanations of the solutions. The final 47-page chapter presents studies not by professional composers but by practical players including most of the world champions." John Donaldson at JeremySilman.com

"As usual with Dvoretsky books, this is not for the lazy. Timman [who wrote the Introduction] recommends that readers take their time with the material, and of course he is right. This is a fine book and it should provide many hours of entertainment and instruction." Sean at MarshTowers.com